allofmp3.com kaput
Allofmp3.com, the Russian Web site that says it offers legal music downloads for as little as US10 cents a song has been shut down, a victory for the beleaguered music industry.
The Russian government apparently shut down the site, which I admittedly bought music from any a time, earlier this week with hopes of changing perceptions that it is aiding and abetting music and video piracy. Complaints from the United States government, not coincidentally, about the site and the Russian government’s apparent apathy had grown much louder in recent months.
Amen.
This site should have been shut down years ago.
While allofmp3.com may have been a great way to experiment with music, there’s no way it was legitimate. AllOfMP3 sold music to more than 5.5 million users who were able to buy songs for between 10c and 20c each, compared with the 99c that Apple charges through iTunes. There’s a reason Apple charges those types of prices and it’s not because Steve Jobs needs more turtlenecks. Music is expensive to produce.
MediaServices, the hosting company for AllOfMP3.com and mp3Sparks.com, has always claimed that it has up-to-date licences from an organisation known as the Russian Licensing Societies.
The closure of allofmp3.com by the Russian government is a smart move if it wants to gain the confidence of trading partners and if it wants the 12-year bilateral agreement it has with the United States government to remain intact. It should also shut down mp3sparks.com, the allofmp3.com alternative set up by its founders, if it wants to keep trading partners happy.
There - I’m off my soapbox now.
Music listeners looking for new types of tunes should listen to try internet streaming services such as kexp.org or last.fm.
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